🔗 Share this article

Imagine being invited to sit beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout in the middle of a pivotal European match. How would you react?

To photographer the lenswoman, this wasn't a hypothetical on a storm-lashed night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the horizontal rain, she was faced with an extraordinary decision: a perfect yet wet shooting position or a dry seat between Ferguson and his right-hand man Brian Kidd.

As the pioneering woman photographer to gain top-division accreditation, unusual situations were all in a day's work. She opted for the dugout.

'Come and Sit Between Kiddo and Me'

After a goalless first leg in Manchester, the second match in Russia was just as chaotic as the weather. Haroun recalls never seeing rain like it. Her equipment was drenched, and her cameras were on the verge of breaking down.

Spotted by Ferguson in the second half, he called out, "You must be a bit wet?" before instructing her to "Come between Kiddo and myself." She spent the rest of the match there, though she would have preferred behind the goal for better shots.

After another 0-0 draw, United were defeated on penalties. Centre-back Gary Pallister, who failed to convert the decisive kick, was left sobbing into his shirt. Looking towards the dugout, he presented Haroun with a perfect front-page photograph.

Preparing her flash, she thought Ferguson would be annoyed. True to form, the manager glared at her and declared, "If you take that picture, I'll never speak to you again!"

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

Regardless of her deep family connections to Manchester United—with family members having served as chairmen—Haroun's path as a woman in a male-dominated field was not always easy.

She struggled to be taken seriously and felt she was often "picked on" by stewards and police as the "weakest link." This even led to an arrest at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd trouble broke out.

"I was the one that got arrested because I'm the weakest link, I'm a woman," she said.

Remembering the Wright Way

Being close to the pitch came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "knocked out" by missiles thrown by supporters at an English club match in Turkey.

The hazard wasn't limited to the players themselves. Strikes from stars like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin also left her dazed. After one such incident, Bryan Robson allegedly joked, "If you're going to kill a photographer, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

Yet, players could also be accommodating. Before an Arsenal match, she asked legend Ian Wright to run towards her if he scored. He did find the net, but initially ran the opposite way.

To her relief, Wright realised, stopped, turned back, and charged towards her with a triumphant yell, creating the "ideal picture" she had hoped for.

A Feline Named Carrington

Away from football, Haroun is a known feline enthusiast. Her collection of multiple cats once grew thanks to an unexpected call from the receptionist at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Informed of an stray cat, Haroun was reluctant—she already had 23 at the time. But, a recognisable gruff voice took the phone and instructed her: "You have to take it!"

Heeding Sir Alex Ferguson's command, she adopted the cat and christened her Carrington.